


Love May Not Heal All... but That Doesn't Mean Don't Try

by DestinedAtMidnight



Category: Midnight Cinderella (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Comfort/Angst, Depression, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Nico x princess with depression, nothing excessive - but of course depression in general is the matter at hand, our lovely supportive butler, potentially triggering content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-24 06:26:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19718050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DestinedAtMidnight/pseuds/DestinedAtMidnight
Summary: (A request from Tumblr) Fic of Nico with a princess that's struggling with depression





	Love May Not Heal All... but That Doesn't Mean Don't Try

“Princess, I’m coming in,” Nico announced, as he stepped through the door and into your bedroom. Inside, his eyed landed on your form, sitting in front of the vanity, staring blankly at your expression.

It was an expression that he had become very familiar with during your days as a princess. That sad, forlorn expression, followed by a familiar sigh. All the suitors were well-aware of the fact that the new princess was one that kept to herself, but she still worked hard when it came to her duties and that was enough for them.

But none of them noticed the way your lively expression immediately fell as soon as the noble you were speaking to walked away. The way you would keep your arms crossed in front of you, no matter who you were talking to. They saw your reluctance to attend parties as ‘normal’ since you were a commoner, no one noticed how you would just lose all of your energy within minutes of being there, struggling to keep the perfect smile on your face in the social setting.

Whenever the palace staff saw you hunched over the thick books filled with oppressing rules and etiquettes that you had to learn on a daily basis, they saw a diligent princess. No one saw the way your eyes would droop with fatigue even though you got the “required” amount of sleep, or the occasional tears that would fall from your eyes onto the table below.

Except for Nico, that is. Spending as much time by your side as he did, he noticed these little things as time went by. The way that you would stay in your bed for as long as possible, not because you were lazy or tired, but because you couldn’t bring yourself to get up and face the day ahead.

He knew this, although he couldn’t put a word to your behaviour, he knew that you were just as hard working as anyone else, you just couldn’t smile as much as someone would - but that was what he wanted to help fix. He had made it his duty, not only as your butler but also as your boyfriend, to help you get better, or at the very least, help you cope.

“Princess,” he spoke softly, bringing you out of your thoughts, “I have some tea for you, it’s peppermint, it should help you relax and get to sleep.” Your butler walked over to you, offered you the tea and sat down beside you. It wasn’t proper custom, but neither of you cared, since the company always made you feel better.

While you sipped you tea, the drink warming you up, Nico stepped behind you. “Here, let me do the rest,” he picked up the hairbrush that you had been using and gently began to brush away the remainder of the tangles from your locks, a small smile on his face.

“Nico,” you spoke softly, waiting for him to look at you in the mirror. “I’m sorry… I’m just a burden on you, you already have other things you should be doing, don’t worry about me, really, I’m fine.”

These words were common to hear, no matter how many times he would tell you, you always ended up feeling like you were wasting his time. Setting the brush down, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to your cheek, then one on the side of your nose, your cheek again. Raining kisses down on your face, he didn’t stop until you let out a light giggle from his tickling.

Wrapping his arms tightly around you, he whispered, “Princess, I love you. Even though I know my love won’t magically make you feel better, I want to help you, because I love you so, so much. I’m never too busy for you, I want to make you smile everyday, until you can smile by yourself too. I don’t care how long it takes, because you’re precious to me and I want to take care of you.

“So please don’t say that you’re a burden to me, you’re not. You're my sweet Princess and I will always be here for you, even with the little things, ‘kay?”

You nodded giving him a soft smile and an equally soft kiss. His words and actions never failing to make you feel better. The two of you got up so that you could go to bed, except this time he followed you under the covers as well.

“Ni-” you began to protest, but he beat you to it, pressing his lips firmly against your nape.

“Nope,” he didn’t let you continue, “I’m staying here because I want to, and because I fall asleep better when you’re with me as well, it’s not just you.” Grinning at you, he blew out the candle, plunging the room into a comforting darkness.

...

A few days passed since that particular night and you continued with your studies. Although you most certainly weren’t “better” you found that the days weren’t as bad as they used to be, especially like they were back in town. Not now that you saw your beloved as soon as you woke up, and just before you fell asleep; you found a reason to smile more often.

It just so happened to be your day off today, Giles’ reward for actually staying until the end of the ball last night, instead of slipping out early. Disguise donned on both yourself and Nico, you walked through the town.

At first you had protested, saying that you would rather spend you day off in your room, but Nico insisted. “Fresh air is good for, especially since you always in the palace. You need a change of pace, Princess.”

Now that you were here, you found yourself agreeing with him. The air was crisper outside and you weren’t constantly feeling the pressure of your duties or the expectations of others on you when in town. It felt good to breathe normally.

After looking around the market, you both sat in a small shop and indulged in some pastries before heading into the empty fields. Sunshine beating gently down on your faces, you lay down side by side watching the clouds roll by.

But while you were relaxed, Nico seemed to be a little tense, a small ‘v’ sitting in between his brows. “Sunshine, fresh air, new scenery, socialising normally but not too much,” he muttered the words as if they were a list. Noticing your gaze he blushed slightly, biting his lip.

As you stared at him in confusion, the man let out a sigh before turning onto his side, resting his head on his hand, gazing down at you. “I asked around the palace,” he began. “I wanted ideas from people on what makes them feel better when they’re feeling down. These are some of the things the maids told me…” his voice trailed off, he almost looked guilty.

You heart swelled as he spoke, knowing that he was looking out for you and wanted to make you feel better. Reaching out, you wrapped your arms around his neck, and pulled him on top of you. “Thank you, Nico Ni. You always notice the little things, and always make me feel better, I really appreciate it.” With that, you pulled him down into a kiss, knowing that your love would always be there to help you, no matter how difficult your depression was.

Love most certainly wasn’t going to cure you, but the support meant more than anything else could.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry it was sad lololol but I hoped it was okay! Please let me know what you thought~
> 
> If you like my content then please consider supporting me on Ko-fi: destinedatmidnight.
> 
> \- Widzz (Tumblr: @destinedatmidnight - come and talk to me, make requests, and see more of my fics/headcanons!)
> 
> All characters belong to Cybird, this is for entertainment only~


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